Programs

Program Scope

The Department of Theatre Arts offers a comprehensive program of both practical and
theoretical courses for undergraduate and graduate students whose interests center
on
various aspects of educational and professional theatre.

The curriculum provides the student with a foundation for advanced study in the dramatic
arts, for teaching, or for a career in professional theatre. As a center for the training
of future theatre artists, the department is committed to introducing a
diversity of theatrical traditions and cultures to students. To this end, the department
employs its three dedicated theatre spaces and its one shared theatre space as learning laboratories, in which students collaborate
with faculty and guest professionals. Studio workshops and advanced stage productions in
those theatres are the culmination of the educational experience.

The department actively seeks and facilitates interdisciplinary programs of study and production with other members of the College of Creative Arts, as well as with Departments and Programs from across the campus. The department also encourages and facilitates collaboration with off-campus area theatres. In these ways we enlarge students experiences, and open new connections between students, the college, the campus as a whole, and the community, offering students an education grounded in practical professional stage practices as well as diverse on-campus academic and production experiences.

Faculty members encourage and facilitate collaboration with off-campus area theatres,
in ways that enlarge students experiences and open new connections between students and the
community. This contact with the community offers students an education grounded in
practical professional stage practices as well as university classes and production on
campus.

The diverse backgrounds of both faculty and students in the program provide our campus
and community with a wealth of theatrical experiences and attractions. Graduates of the
program are prominent in professional theatre throughout the nation, with positions
of leadership in theatre, television, film, and theatre education.

Fundamental to the major program is a core of required courses designed to
develop a foundation
upon which to elect, upon advisement, one of the following areas of emphasis: performance,
play development and dramaturgy, technical theatre and design, or popular
theatre.

The minor program is not a requirement for any credential or degree but is intended
to give the student an opportunity to pursue an interest in theatre arts.

The Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts offers a Concentration in
Design/Technical Production. The three-year M.F.A. is designed to
provide rigorous, professional training to prepare students for careers as
professional theatre artists or artist teachers. The concentration focuses on specialized skills in the areas of scene design, costume
design, lighting design, and/or technical production.

The M.F.A. program combines the elements of professional practice and
scholarly work to project a production concept through a specific discipline. The
philosophy of the curriculum is based on two necessities of theatrical art:
collaboration and discipline. Students progress through a full-time sequence of courses
which trains them to work with other specialized theatre artists in realizing a total work
of theatre, as well as to excel in their own chosen arts. The program is designed to
develop the candidate's practical skills and personal strengths towards motivating
communication, commitment, and support among the production group.

The Master of Arts in Drama provides training for students wishing to expand their
knowledge and increase their competence in the fields of history and literature of the
theatre, acting, directing, theatre design, and production; seeking teaching credentials
where the master's degree is required; and preparing for further graduate work elsewhere.

Facilities

The department of theatre arts produces its plays in four performance spaces: McKenna
Theatre, a proscenium stage with orchestra pit, fly system, and film/video
projection systems is the largest theatre in the College of Creative Arts with a
seating capacity of 701. The Little Theatre is a smaller proscenium stage with fly
system and a seating capacity of 250. The Studio Theatre is a modified thrust
stage with fixed grid and seating capacity of 78. The Brown Bag Theatre is a
black box theatre with a seating capacity of 55.

The performance spaces are supported by outstanding technical facilities. Theatre Arts classes and production work are
conducted, with professional
supervision, in the Scene/Paint Shop, Costume Shop, Properties Shop, Lighting
Laboratory, and Sound Design
Laboratory.

Career Outlook

Career opportunities in theatre arts include performance and technical positions in
professional, regional, and community theatres, as well as the areas of film and
television, for actor, director, stage manager, designer (lighting, costume,
scenery, and props), and
craftsperson (stitcher, carpenter, props artisan). Teaching positions range from
elementary and high school theatre classes through community college and university
curricula in all aspects of the dramatic arts. Other career possibilities include such
diverse fields as advertising, design (interior, fashion, display), drama
therapy, and
recreation.

The core consists of the 24 units listed below while the area of emphasis
consists of 21 units of required and elective courses. No fewer than 12 units,
planned with and approved by an assigned adviser, must be taken in residence study.

Area of Emphasis

The B.A. in Drama offers four areas of
emphasis: Performance, Play Development and Dramaturgy, Technical Theatre and
Design, and Popular Theatre. Information about the specific requirements of each
Area of Emphasis may be obtained at the Theatre Arts office or by visiting the department's web site: (http://theatre.sfsu.edu).

Teaching Credential: The Single Subject Approved Program (English
Subject Matter: Drama Emphasis) requires completion of courses in English as well as Theatre Arts. For details on
this program, please consult credential advisers in the English Teacher Resource
and Advising Center.

A minimum of 22 units, of which at least 11 must be at the upper division
level, should be planned with an assigned adviser.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS IN THEATRE ARTS

Admission

Applications for classified status in the M.F.A. program are accepted
beginning October 1 of the preceding year, for admission the following fall.
Applications for classified status in the M.A. program are accepted beginning
October 1 of the preceding year, for admission the following fall.

For both programs, contact the department office and the SFSU Division of Graduate
Studies for specific application deadlines in March for fall and October for
spring.

Applicants are
required to file the CSU Graduate Admission Application with the SFSU Division of Graduate Studies and submit requested materials to the Department of Theatre Arts. Admission to classified status requires acceptance by both the university and
the Department of Theatre Arts.

Students must meet university and departmental requirements and must normally have
completed an undergraduate major in theatre arts. Consideration is given to students with
a strong undergraduate minor or other relevant work. Admission to the program is based on evaluation of a student's previous work and
supporting materials.

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: evaluation of graduate student's statement of purpose,
which is a written requirement for admission to classified status in the Theatre Arts
Department. On the basis of this material the M.F.A. or M.A. graduate coordinator may properly advise a
student of the need to obtain additional skills in writing. If remedial work is required,
it is so indicated as a condition to classified status. Level Two: judged by
a graduate student's written work while enrolled in TH A 707. It is expected that
papers written for this course will demonstrate scholarly style. If papers
written for this course do not earn a superior grade, students must secure the
graduate coordinator's permission before enrolling in other 700-level courses.

Advancement to Candidacy

Besides meeting all general requirements, a diagnostic examination on the
entire field of drama may be given at the time of registration in order to
assist the M.F.A. or M.A. adviser in developing each student's program.
Weaknesses in any area may necessitate enrollment in specified courses selected
in order to build strength in the area. Such courses are usually taken in
addition to the minimum number of units required for completion of the graduate
major.

Completion of the Degree

To complete either the M.F.A. or the M.A., students must satisfy all university and Department of Theatre
Arts requirements. The university requirements are described in the front of the Graduate
Education section of this Bulletin. Department requirements are provided in detail by the
M.F.A./M.A. graduate coordinators and M.F.A./M.A. advisers. In addition to satisfactory
completion of the course requirements, the department requires satisfactory performance on
yearly departmental reviews, participation in the department's production program, and the
successful completion of a final creative project or thesis. The Department of Theatre
Arts accepts a limited number of transfer units on a course-by-course basis.

Admission to the Program

Applicants seeking admission to the M.F.A. in Theatre Arts must submit the
following materials directly to the Department of Theatre Arts, M.F.A. Graduate
Coordinator, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San
Francisco, CA 94132-4157: (1) statement of purpose (include proposed area and/or
areas of emphasis); (2) copy of transcripts from all colleges or universities
attended; (3) three letters of reference from people who know the applicant's
theatre work; (4) a current resume; (5) other information considered
appropriate, but which does not appear on transcripts; and (6) a portfolio of
slides and designs to be submitted upon request to the M.F.A. coordinator.

First Year Evaluation

The Department of Theatre Arts M.F.A. committee evaluates each student's
performance at the end of the first year and recommends for or against
continuance in the program.

Admission to the Program

Applicants must submit the
following directly to the graduate coordinator: (1) statement of purpose (include proposed area and/or
areas of emphasis); (2) copy of transcript; (3) three letters of reference from people who know the applicant's
theatre work; and (4) information considered important but which does not appear on
the transcript.

Master's Thesis or Creative Work Project. Depending upon the
educational and professional aims of the student, the M.A. committee
recommends whether a master's thesis or creative work project is to be undertaken by the
individual student.

Master's Comprehensive Written
Examination. If failed may be repeated once only and must be repeated within a year of the
failure. Written policies regarding this examination may be obtained from the
M.A. graduate coordinator.